We decided to go to Houhai Lake today. There’s so much in Beijing we haven’t seen. We had some time today, and we weren’t overburdened with schoolwork, yet. I’d read some about the area, but hadn’t visited, and since Judy visited Friday and was excited about seeing more of, today seemed like the perfect time to check it out.

The Drum Tower can be seen in the distance, over the top of Judy’s head.

One of the things I read was that there was lots of ice-skating in the winter on the lake. No ice skaters today, but there were swimmers, and boats. There are lots of shaded walk areas, but like much of Beijing, not enough benches to sit and enjoy the sites. We rode the train over and the station is 1 block from the lake, so it’s an easy walk. After we walked around half of the lake, we cut up into a neighborhood and wandered through the narrow streets, stopping at some interesting shops. As lunch time approached, the crowds began to show up.

We found a Starbucks and got rejuvenated with a mocha frappucino before heading home. Back at the apartment, Judy went to work on her computer, prepping for classes that begin Wednesday. When the Starbucks drinks wore off, we ordered a pizza delivered from Kro’s Nest. It’s huge, so it should feed us till Tuesday.